Pipe hanger



Jan. 23, 1962 J. a. JACKSON, JR., ErAL PIPE HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 23, 1958 dofzn 6. Jackson, L/l.

Al/en E fi/wo eJ INVENTORJ ATTORNEY Jan. 23, 1962 J. a. JACKSON, JR..ETAL 3,017,931

PIPE HANGER Filed June 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4//@/? fP/70dsu 1INVENTORS L/0/7/7 G. Jackie/7, (/l.

3,017,931 PIPE HANGER John G. Jackson, Jr., Angleton, and Allen F.Rhodes,

Houston, Tex., assignors to McEvoy Company, Houston, Tern, a corporationof Texas Filed June 23, 1958, Ser. No. 743,734 9 Claims. (Cl. 166-208)This invention pertains to apparatus for supporting vertical pipes inwells. More particularly, the invention pertains to apparatus useful forsupporting vertically disposed pipes at random points along theirlengths, the support being capable of control from a place remote fromthe point of support.

A principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus forsupporting pipes in substantially vertical positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus for use indrilling and completion of petroleum wells, particularly for use inWells which are completed at in accessible locations, such as at thebottom of the ocean.

A second principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus forsupporting well casings and tubings at random points along theirlengths, such apparatus being either the primary supporting apparatus orauxiliary to another form of casing or tubing hanger, the auxiliarybeing used only when the casing or tubing has become stuck so that theother form of casing or tubing hanger becomes useless.

Briefly, the apparatus of preferred form as hereinafter describedincludes equipment for installing a slip typehanger means about avertical pipe from a point remote from the point of installation, and aseat means below the hanger installing equipment for supporting thehanger means after it has engaged the pipe.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing descriptions of preferred embodiments, reference being made tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a partially schematically shown vertical quarter sectionshowing a preferred embodiment of apparatus for use in supporting atubing string in a well;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section of the apparatus depicted in FIGURE 1,taken at line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial elevation showing a latch included in theapparatus of FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial vertical section, showing a slightlymodified form of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 with some parts inmoved positions; and,

FIGURE 5 is a partial vertical section showing an alternative form ofthe lower part of the apparatus as used for supporting a well casingstring.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and first to FIGURES 1-4, thereis shown a modified pipe spool 10, or body, having at its upper end aflange 11 whereby the body 111 may be connected to other well equipmentat its upper end, and having at its lower end a flange 12 for connectionof the body to a lower member 13 having an upper connection flange 14,the connection being made by means of a plurality of the bolts 15secured through bolt holes of the flanges. Member 13 may be any tubularwell tool mandrel or pipe, and is shown as a flanged pipe.

Intermediate its length, body has a hollow lateral enlargement 20, whichextends laterally outward of body 10 aired States Patent 0 i 3,017,931Patented Jan. 23, 1962 at opposite sides. The hollow or opening 21within enlargement 20 is in intersecting relation at its center with themiddle part of cylindrical opening 22 through body 10. Opening 21 isusually of rectangular vertical section, but its vertical section may beotherwise if desired, such as eliptical or circular. Opening 21 haslateral flanged end outlets 23, 24 at its opposite ends, to each ofwhich is bolted a rectangular flanged cover 25, 26, respectively. Thecovers 25, 26 are identical and each has an end extension 27 of opening21 therewithin.

A rectangular plate 31 is slidingly disposed within each end of opening21, these being to opposite sides of cylindrical opening 22. Each platehas, at its inner side toward opening 22, a concave recess 32 having adownwardly converging conical lower part 33, a semi-cylindrical centralpart 34 thereabove having intermediate its length a conical supportshoulder 3 4a (shown only in FIG. 4), a downwardly converging conicalshoulder or seat 35 above part 34, and a semi-cylindrical upper part 36above the seat. Each plate 31 has at its outer surface a verticallyslotted protrusion 40, the slot being widened at its inner portion sothat it may function to hold an enlarged shaft end. A horizontal shaft41 is slidingly received through an opening 42 through the center ofcover 26, opening 42 having an outer enlargement 43 closed by screwed-ingland nut 44 to serve as a packing recess and an inner enlargement 45 toreceive protrusion 44] so that plate 31 can be moved flush against cover26. Suitable packing material to seal around shaft 41 is disposed withinouter opening enlargement 43 and held in place by nut 44. The inner endof shaft 41 has a reduced portion 50 to fit past the reduced outer partof the slot of protrusion 40, the shaft end not being reduced so as tobe held in the widened part of the slot to secure the shaft to plate 31.

A flanged hollow cylinder 51 is bolted to each cover 26 with one endconcentrically about the opening 42 of the cover. The other end of eachcylinder 51 is closed by a blank flange 52 bolted to the cylinderflange, each flange 52 having a tapped hole therethrough into which isscrewed a pressure pipe 53 for delivering fluid pressure to cylinder 51.A second tapped hole is provided at a side of cylinder 51 near its innerend and a second pressure pipe 54 is screwed into this hole. A piston 55is sealingly and slidingly received within cylinder 51 and shaft 41 issecured at its outer end to the piston. When pressured fluid isintroduced into cylinder 51 through pipe 53, piston 55 is moved inwardlythereby toward cover 26, pressure at the inner side of piston 55 beingrelieved through pipe 54. Piston 55 may be moved in the oppositedirection by introducing pressured fluid through pipe 54, pressure atthe outer side of piston 55 than being relieved through pipe 53. Thesemovements of the two pistons 5'5 cause similar movements of the plates31 at the inner ends of shafts 41.

A pipe 61, for example a tubing string, is received concentricallythrough opening 22 of body 10, same to be supported by the describedapparatus. A hanger assembly 64 consists of two hanger halves 65, 66,only the hanger half 65 being shown in full in the drawings. Hanger half66 is identical with hanger half 65.

Each hanger half is initially supported within an end of opening 21 byone of the plates 31. Each plate 31 carries at its inner face aninwardly extending horizontal pin 67 which is received at one end in ahole in the inner plate face. A second such pin 68 is similarly carriedby each plate 31 spaced above the pin 67 thereof. Each hanger half 65,66 includes a hanger body 70 having inner slip taper 71 and upper inwardprotruding annular flange 72, slip segments 73 seated on tapers 71 andheld in place by pins 67 extending into suitable perforations of body 70and the slip segment, and sealing elements 7577 bolted to flange 72 bybolts extending therethrough and screwed into tapped flange openings. Aperforate angle 78 is secured to the upper surface of sealing element 77and the pin 68 extends through the angle perforation to support theWeight of the hanger half.

As has been mentioned, FIG. 1 of the drawings is in part schematic inits showing. Because of the relatively small size of FIG. 1, and becauseof the proximity of pin 67 thereto, a showing of tapered seat orshoulder 34a of the slips 73 has been omitted therefrom. In addition, amodification of the slip forms between FIGS. 1 and 4 appears in that inFIG. 1 the slips 73 have smooth outer, or hanger body contacting,surfaces, while in FIG. 4 the slips 73 have horizontally grooved ortoothed outer surfaces to control the frictional engagement betweenslips and hanger body. Either form may be used in connection with thisinvention, both of these and other slip forms being known in the art.

The shoulder 34a is for supported engagement of the hanger bodies 70 intheir corresponding plate 31, the hanger bodies each having acorresponding tapered seat portion for engagement therewith. The hangerseat 90 has a corresponding form.

Hanger half 65 (FIGURE 3) has, at one end of its semicircular hangerbody 70, a recess 80 from which extends a latch pin 81 which ispivotally connected within the recess by a pin 82. Latch pin 81 has adownwardly projecting hook formation 83 at its end extending from therecess. Hanger half 66 has, at the end of its hanger body 70 which abutsrecess 80 of hanger half 65 when the halves are put in position around apipe, a recess 85 having a downward enlargement 86. A hook engagingsurface 87 is provided at the side of enlargement 86 toward the mouth ofthe recess, and pin 81 when introduced into recess 85 latches at hook 83behind shoulder 87 to hold the two hanger body ends together about thepipe. The diametrically opposite ends of the two hanger body members 70are equipped in the same way, only with the recess 80 and pin 81 in body70 of hanger half 66 and with the recess 85 in body 70 of hanger half 65so that the two hanger halves are identical and interchangeable.

The support of the hanger halves 65, 66 on the pins 67, 68 of theopposite plates 31 has already been described. The hanger halves arebrought together to encircle the pipe 61 to be hung in a well byintroducing pressured fluid through pipes 53 to cause both pistons 55and both plates 31 to be simultaneously moved inwardly toward pipe 61 tocompletely encircle it. The opposite latch pins 31 become latched behindthe shoulders 87 so that the hanger halves are locked about the pipe,the hanger halves still-being supported by the pins 67, 68. Next, theplates 31 are simultaneously moved radially outwardly by introducingpressured fluid through the two pipes 54 to the inner sides of pistons55 and allowing the pressure on the outer piston sides to be relievedthrough the pipes 53. The pins 67, 68 stay in their holes in plates 31and are drawn out of the perforations of the hanger halves so thatsupport for the hanger halves is removed.v Therefore, the hanger halvesin locked together condition about pipe 6 1 are free to slide down thepipe to land in a hanger seat.

The hanger seat 90 in which hanger halves 65, 66 making up hanger 64land is shown in the lower portions of FIGURES 1 and 4, the hanger 64being shown landed in FIGURE 4. Seat 90 has an annular conical seatshoulder 91 therearound which is of the same taper and form as the seatshoulders 35 of the two plates 31, to support the hanger 64 in the usualfashion, seat 90 having vertical cylindrical surfaces above and belowthe shoulder 91. Seat 90 is formed at the tubular inner surface of ahanger sleeve 93. A tubular element or mandrel 94, which may form thelower portion of element 13 or which may be a separate element coaxiallyconnected below element 13, has a pair of interior annular recesses 95,96, recess 95 having an upper conical side and a lower hori zontal sideand recess 96 having upper and lower conical sides. A sleeve 97surrounds sleeve 93 within mandrel 94. Sleeve 93 and sleeve 97,respectively, have downwardly facing and upwardly facing conicalengaging shoulders 99, 100. A shear pin 101 (shown sheared) initiallyheld the sleeves 93, 97 together in the indicated position with sleeve97 lower than shown during installation, which is more fully describedand shown in our copending application for United States Letters Patent,S.N. 743,622, filed June 23, 1958, and entitled Well Completion. Sleeve97 has a plurality of circularly arranged window openings 102therethrough in register with recesses 95, 96. A plurality of doublelatching lugs 103 are each frely disposed in one of the window openings102 and are each spring-biased radially outwardly by a compressionspring 104 disposed within an inner-side lug recess. The lugs areengaged in recesses 95, 96 to support the sleeves, and a seattherearound is formed by a sealing ring 105 disposed in a suitablepacking recess of sleeve 93 and axially compressed by the upper part ofsleeve 93 hearing on the upper end of sleeve 97. Mandrel 94 may have atapped bleed or test port 107 therethrough into which is screwed a pipe108 at any desired location therealong. An O-ring seal 109 is providedaround the upper end of sleeve 93 to seal between sleeve 93 and mandrel94 The hanger 64 slides down pipe 61 and lands at seat 96 with the lowerequipment in the condition shown in FIG- URE 1. After the hanger hasbeen landed, a hold-down device 111, shown in FIGURE 4 may be placedwithin mandrel 94 above sleeve 93 and latched in place in a recess 112of mandrel 94. These elements are fully described in the previouslymentioned copending patent application S.N. 743,622.

When the pipe supporting apparatus is used auxiliary to other pipesupporting apparatus which is rendered nonusable because pipe 6 1 hasbecome stuck in the well hole at its lower end or because of otherfailure of the other apparatus, it will frequently be desirable to cutoff pipe 61 as at 114, FIGURE 4, before proceeding with installing otherelements of the completion because of the unpredicted longitudinalposition of pipe 61. This may be accomplished by any suitable milling orcutting tool (not shown) inserted into pipe 61 to the desired positionabove the hanger.

Hanger 64 functions to support pipe 61 in the manner usual to slip typehangers, the teeth of slips 73 biting into the outer surface of pipe 61and the slips seating upon hanger body taper '71. If the pipe is stuck,it may be given longitudinal tension to set the slips by pullingupwardly from its upper end.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 of the drawings, there is shown an alternativemethod for supporting the pipe hanger in mandrel 94. The portion ofmandrel 94 shown in FIGURE 5 is beneath the portion of mandrel 94 shownin the lower parts of FIGURES l and 4. Mandrel 94 has formedtherewithin, beneath the recesses 95, 96, 112, an annular recess 120,and therebelow, a pair of upwardly diverging upwardly facing seatingshoulders 121, 122. A casing hanger 123 has outer downwardly facingshoulders which correspond with shoulders 121, 122, and the casinghanger is seated on shoulders 121, 122 to engage and support a casing124 in the well. The casing is shown cut off above the casing hanger 123at 125, analogous to the cutting off of tubing 61 at 114, FIGURE 4.

Casing hanger 123 is a slip type casing hanger which is capable of beingsupported by plates 31 within body 10. If desired, the form of plates 31can be altered to make the recess 32 correspond to the seats of thehanger, and this is usually done. However, all that is essential is thatthe pins 67, 68 correspond with suitable perforations in the hanger bodyand slips so that the hanger can be adequately supported and run in tosurround the casing. Casing 124 is set in the same manner as the tubing61, the casing hanger halves being run together around the casing whilesupported by plates 31 and latched in place. The plates 31 are thenwithdrawn so that the hanger is free to slide down the exterior of thecasing and land upon shoulders 121, 122. If the casing is stuck lowerdown in the well, the casing may be given the necessary slip-settingtension by pulling upwardly on the casing from its upper end. After itis set, the casing is cut off at 125 by employment of a suitable millingor cutting tool (not shown) as are known in the art, and then theremainder of the completion apparatus can be installed within the casingand above its upper end.

Casing hanger 123 may be any suitable type of slip casing hanger. Asshown in FIGURE 5, casing hanger 123 includes a body 130 having an innertaper surface, an inwardly protruding flange 131 around its upper end,and an exterior conical seat to seat upon shoulder 122 of mandrel 94.The slips 132 are in the usual wedge form, and seat upon the inner taperof body 130 to be wedged into engagement with casing 124. Sealingelements 133- 135 have perforations through which a plurality of bolts136 are passed, the bolts being screwed into tapped holes in flange 131.Sealing element 135 has an outer conical taper on its lower side whichseats upon shoulder 121 of mandrel 94, and seats 121 are spaced apart toprovide axial compression of elastomeric element 134 when the hanger isseated on both seats 121, 122. The perforate angle 138 is identical withperforate angle 78 of the other embodiment, and performs the samefunction, angle 138 being fixed at the upper surface of sealing element133.

A hold-down device 140 is latched in recess 120 of mandrel 94 to holdthe casing hanger down after it has been set. A tubular sleeve 141 hasan interior annular recess 142 for engagement by a suitable handlingtool (not shown) carried at the lower end of a handling string of pipe.Sleeve 141 has a square sided recess 143 at its interior below recess142, and an outwardly protruding annular flange 144 of an inner sleeve145 is engaged therewithin. A latch sleeve 146 is screwed around thelower end of sleeve 145 at threads 147, and above the threads sleeve 146has an inwardly enlarged tubular upper portion 148. A plurality ofcircularly arranged window openings 150 are provided around sleeveportion 148 (only one being shown), and in each of the window openingsthere is a freely disposed latch lug or pin 151 having an outer formcorresponding to the form of recess 120. The lower end of sleeve 141 isthickened inwardly to form the lower end of recess 143, and the lowersurface of sleeve 141 is beveled inwardly and outwardly. When hold downdevice 140 is run into the well, it is supported by the handling tool atrecess 142. Flange 144 is at the bottom of recess 143 and supported uponthe inwardly thickened lower end of sleeve 141. A lock-ring 152 is thenbelow the thickened lower end of sleeve 141, and the lower portion ofsleeve 141 is above lugs 151 so that the lugs are free to move radiallyinwardly when the device is moved through a confining space. The lowerend of latching sleeve 146 has a circular skirt 153 therearound toengage the upper end of hanger 123, and inwardly thereof a circularrecess 154 to provide a space for the perforate vertical parts of angles138.

When device 140 has landed at skirt 153 on the casing hanger 123,further downward movement of sleeve 141 by the handling tool causes theoutward beveled lower surface of sleeve 141 to engage beveled uppercorners of the lugs 151 to force the lugs radially outwardly into recess120. The inward lower beveled surface of sleeve 141 rides over the lockring 152, which, after completion of the downward movement locks abovethe lower side of recess 143 to hold sleeve 141 down. Thus, the deviceis locked in place above casing hanger 123 to hold it down,

the lower part of sleeve 141 backing up the lugs 151 so that they cannotbe moved out of recess 120.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed herein, many modifications thereof may be made by a personskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention,and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of theinvention falling within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for supporting a pipe in a well conduit, comprising chambermeans opening from opposite sides of the well conduit, hanger engagingmeans within said chamber means at opposite sides of the well conduiteach for releasably supporting a hanger half, hydraulic means for movingeach said hanger engaging means radially with respect to the wellconduit, a hanger half releasably supported by each said hanger engagingmeans, means associated with each said hanger engaging means forreleasably supporting a said hanger half, means for connecting the twohanger halves about a said pipe disposed therebetween when the hangerhalves are brought together about the pipe by inward radial movement ofsaid hanger engaging means with respect to said well conduit, and seatmeans in the well conduit below 'said chamber means for supporting saidconnected hanger halves to support the pipe.

2. The combination of claim 1, said hydraulic means each comprising ahydraulic chamber extending radially outwardly from a said opposite sideof said chamber means and sealed therefrom, axially movable shaft meanscarrying each of said hanger engaging means in one of said oppositesides of said chamber means and each sealingly extending into one ofsaid hydraulic chambers, movable barrier means in each said hydraulicchamber for causing axial movement of said shaft under imposition ofhydraulic pressures, and means for imposing hydraulic pressures withinsaid hydraulic chamber for moving said barrier means.

3. The combination of claim 2, said barrier means being pistons,imposition of hydraulic pressures to one side of a said piston causingradial inward movement of the hanger engaging means and the hanger halfsupported thereby to a pipe encircling condition, opposite imposition ofhydraulic pressures onto a said piston causing outward radial movementof the hanger engaging means, said releasably supporting meansassociated with each said hanger engaging means each including pin meansslidably inserted into a said hanger half which are withdrawn to leavethe hanger half about the pipe when the hanger engaging plate is movedradially outwardly.

4. The combination of claim 3, said hanger half connecting meansincluding latch means for automatically latching said hanger halvestogether when placed together around a pipe to be supported with eachsaid hanger half loosely encircling the pipe halfway, whereby when saidhanger engaging means are withdrawn outwardly after bringing the hangerhalves to the described pipe encircling position, said pin means arewithdrawn from the hanger halves leaving the hanger halves latchedtogether about the pipe and free to slide down the pipe to seat at saidseat means to support the pipe.

5. The combination of claim 4, said hanger halves latched together asdescribed forming a slip type pipe hanger, said slip type pipe hangerincluding wedge shaped slips for engaging the pipe to be supported, saidseat means comprising a body disposed beneath said chamber means havingan interior tapered seat for supporting the slips wedged against thepipe, and seal means actuated by the weight of the pipe on the hangerfor sealing the annulus about the pipe.

6. The combination of claim 5, said pipe being a well casing string,there being a tubular member in the well connected below said chambermeans, said seat means being formed about the interior periphery of saidtubular member, and said hanger halvestogether comprising a slip typecasing hanger.

7. The combination of claim 6, including releasable hold-down meansengaged Within said tubular member above said casing hanger for holdingdown said casing hanger within said tubular member.

8. The combination of claim 5, said pipe being a well tubing string,there being a tubular member in the well connected below said chambermeans, said seat means comprising a tubular body, latching meansincluding extendable lugs surrounding said tubular body for engagingsaid tubular member at its interior, back-up sleeve means disposedannularly within said latching means for keeping said lugs extended insuch engagement, and a seating sleeve disposed annularly within saidback-up sleeve means for providing a seat for said hanger halves, saidhanger halves together comprising a slip-type tubing hanger.

9. The combination of claim 5, said tapered seat being 8 a considerabledistance below said chamber means, said hanger halves latched looselyabout the pipe being adapted to drop all the way from said chamber meansto said tapered seat when saidpin means are withdrawn beforeengaging-the pipe, whereby the pipe is supported by said hanger halvesat said considerable distance beneath the point where said hanger halvesare placed about the pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESv PATENTS1,835,891 Mildren Dec. 8, 1931 1,910,634 Pearce May 23, 1933 2,199,588Cobham May 7, 1940 2,578,056 French Dec. 11, 1951 2,689,139 Jones Sept.14, 1954 2,733,938 Davis Feb. 7, 1956 2,897,895 Ortloff Aug. 4, 1959

